Formed over thousands of years of glacial activity and erosion by the currents of Lake Ontario, the Scarborough Bluffs are a significant geological feature in the east end of Toronto. Cathedral Bluffs Park is the highest point of the bluffs standing at 90 meters above the lakeshore. The bluffs in this area have been shaped into cathedral-like spires. Views from the top of the bluffs are spectacular with open areas to stop for lunch. The beach shore at the base of the bluffs is perfect for a long afternoon walk. Access to the beach is available via Brimley Road.
Source: Toronto.ca
Drained by a half-dozen major watersheds, cut by a network of deep ravines and fronting on a Great Lake, Toronto is a city dominated by water. Recently, the trend of fettering Toronto’s water and putting it underground has been countered by persistent citizen-led efforts to recall and restore the city’s surface water.
Ontario's rich geologic history is illustrated here by short descriptions of more than 200 field sites ranging from Timmins in the north to Windsor in the south. These include the Sleeping Giant near Thunder Bay; Agawa Canyon; the Sudbury meteorite crater; Niagara Escarpment; the Falls and Gorge; numerous caves, the mineral-rich Bancroft area; and the high lakeshore cliffs at Scarborough Bluffs. Some sites are sacred to First Nations and are associated with spectacular rock art.
Ontario Rocks tells this fascinating 3 billion year long story of Ontario's geological evolution, from its beginnings as part of an early landmass called Arctica, its incorporation into enormous supercontinents, through to the repeated ice ages and abrupt climatic changes of the last few thousand years. Merging Canadian geology with global evolution, this highly illustrated survey also touches on the development of Ontario's mining and oil industries, and the commercial use of rocks as building material.
Along the Shore examines the Toronto waterfront, past and present, through the lens of four lakefront communities and districts — the Scarborough shore (including the Bluffs), the Beach, the Island, and the Lakeshore (New Toronto, Mimico, Humber Bay, and Long Branch). Each retains a direct and immediate connection with Lake Ontario and the natural world.
Tours featuring this location.
Ontario rocks! In fact, it rocks so much there's a book with the same title. Of course, the book refers to the wondrous formations found throughout the province - but we like to think a little literary metaphor goes a long way.
This particular tour of Toronto's Waterfront takes you to Scarborough Bluffs and the surrounding area. A spectacular geologial wonder of 12,000 years of sedimentary layers, these bluffs almost seem out of place along Lake Ontario's shores, where they break off at the water's edge.
